Missing 3-year-old girl believed to be dead, Fremont police say

UPDATE: Police say they found the body of a child believed to be Ellie Lorenzo early Saturday morning at a recycling plant in San Jose.

“It is with a heavy heart we report this morning, Saturday, July 13, 2024, we were contacted by San Jose Police Department regarding the investigation into Ellie Lorenzo,” the Fremont Police Department wrote in a post on X some hours later. “Tragically, a juvenile female resembling Ellie was located deceased in their city.”

The San Jose Police Department stopped short of confirming that the child is Ellie, saying that’s up to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office to determine. But in an email to The Standard, SJPD spokesperson Sgt. Jorge Garibay said officers were dispatched to a recycling facility before dawn in response to a report of a child’s body being found.

“Today at around, 4:38 a.m., officers were dispatched to a recycling facility in San Jose for a report of a suspicious circumstance involving a possibly deceased juvenile,” Garibay wrote. “When they arrived they located a child that was obviously deceased. The homicide unit responded to the scene and is investigating the incident.“

“Every child death in San Jose jurisdiction is investigated by the SJPD Homicide Unit per Santa Clara County protocol,” he continued. “Child deaths are incredibly meticulous investigations that require a variety of evidence and follow up to determine a cause and manner of death.”

Fremont police are trying to find a 3-year-old girl who’s been missing since her dad was found dead in San Francisco.

Ellie Lorenzo was reported missing Friday afternoon when her mother told authorities that she hadn’t seen the girl since around 6 p.m. the night before at the Casa Arroyo Apartments in Fremont.

The mother was waiting for the father to return the child by Friday night, as mandated by a custody agreement, police said. But when she found out the father died in a nearby city, she asked authorities for help.

Now, the police are asking for the public to help find the girl, who’s described as African American, about 60 pounds, 3 feet tall and with black hair and brown eyes.

“Our hearts go out to the family, and we assure you that we are doing everything we can to locate the child,” the Fremont Police Department said in a press release. “We are asking for the community’s assistance to help locate and ensure the safe return of the missing child.”

A spokesperson for the department confirmed to The Standard that Ellie’s father died sometime on Friday in San Francisco. No additional information about his death was available.

The San Francisco Police Department confirmed it’s lending resources in “an extensive search” for the girl. Representatives for the department did not answer questions regarding the circumstances around her father’s death.

“If anyone locates Ellie Lorenzo, please call 911 and report her current location and physical description,” an SFPD spokesperson said in an email to The Standard.

Fremont police urge anyone with information about Ellie’s whereabouts to call them at (510) 790-6800, ext. 3. The department also accepts information anonymously— just text “Tip FremontPD” followed by the message to 888-77—or submit tips online at fremontpolice.gov/tip.

SFPD said people can also provide information to the department’s tip line at (415) 575-4444 or by texting a message prefaced by “SFPD” to TIP411.